


Queensday

by Jaseish (curseofbunny)



Category: LoliRock (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Halphas Headcanon, M/M, New Years Challenge, so that explains of that, using Six the Musical as a base for the fic and as inspiration/vibes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:47:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22329586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curseofbunny/pseuds/Jaseish
Summary: Divorced. Beheaded. Died.More like divorced, faked death, died. Some alternate universe drabbles and headcanons contained here~ will be in same universe but cover a whole story.
Relationships: Gramorr (LoliRock)/Original Male Character, Iris/Mephisto (LoliRock)
Kudos: 10





	1. Ex-Wives (Gifts)

Grizza woke early, the morning of the Coronation. The whole palace had partied deep into the night, but he wanted to see the dawn on the day he took his place by the ruler of Ephedia.

For years, he had courted the prince. Older brother to Princess Mora, Crown Prince Naveen was slated to rule the planet. He was a good, upright man. His sense of morals were arrow-straight, and his plans for when he ruled were the same.

And Grizza Gotch, the scholar, well… who was he, but an upright man, in love with a king-to-be?

It wasn’t that they were perfect. Far from it. They had their moments, where they fought tooth and nail, where they argued, where they smiled and laughed it all off and went back to how it was. Grizza knew that he couldn’t stay mad long.

He noticed the note on his nightstand first. Laid there, in his dear husband’s writing, the man’s signature hair ribbon gently placed on top of it. Grizza runs a thumb over the soft fabric before he reads the note.

_Darling,_

_I know it’s a shame to leave your bed wanting for my warmth, but I’ve a meeting with my sister to keep. We’ll meet for breakfast, but in secret. If they knew I let you see me before the coronation… they’d have my head. Until then, as short as it may be, don’t forget me, dear. Before you know it, the royal chambers will be ours. All of Ephedia doesn’t compare to the thought of your body nestled next to mine every night for the rest of our lives…_

_Yours,_  
_Your Majesty, The King, Naveen Halphas_

Grizza pressed the note to his chest and slid out of bed, feeling his hair sliding down and hitting his back. Ever the sweetest... Who would he be without his husband?

He didn’t make it far from the bed, however. Before he even made it three steps, something soft and warm was in front of him. Dark-furred and small…

He bent down and picked it up. An ephedian panther…

In the palace? And a kitten, of all things? What luck.

The creature seemed weak, looking at him with miserable eyes, paws too big for its body and longer-than-usual tail swishing between it’s furry hind legs.

Grizza brought the panther closer to his chest, nestling it there as he began to pet it.

“And what are you, my dear? A present from my husband? After he’s already gotten all of Ephedia for me?” He murmurs, swiping his calloused thumb over the panther’s ear. Instead of purring, a rumbling noise of disapproval escaped the little face.

He hummed. “Ah, a grumpy little one then. Why won’t I call you…. _baien _, then? Hm?”__

__The calixian word for “grumpy” seemed to only make the little panther in his arms sneeze and nestle in closer._ _

__It was a few hours before he heard anything else._ _

__Naveen did not come to his door. No illicit breakfast meeting came. No sweet nothing carried over the air._ _

__No news._ _

__Just a panther in his arms, looking more and more nervous as the time crawled on, matching his heart’s beating. By the time he finally left his room, panther in one arm and his husband’s ribbon in the other, it was practically roaring._ _

__It wasn’t long before he came upon the scene._ _

__A crowd of people, confused and distressed. Whispers and crying everywhere._ _

__Princess Mora, wearing a pristine white gown._ _

__Her dear husband, Chen, kneeling on the ground by her side._ _

__Their eyes meet Grizza’s._ _

__He freezes._ _

___The prince…._ _ _

___Is dead._ _ _


	2. No Way (Camping)

Ever since Iris was little, she’d been a fan of the outdoors. Gardening with her aunt, playing with Nathaniel and his cousin Priya, laughing and getting everything dirty with how little she cared about it over the fun she was having. Sure, it was more work later on, but…

Life wasn’t meant to be lived inside a glass case, and she wasn’t breakable.

She finished changing and settled in her tent on her knees for a moment, thinking hard. Afternoon naps were great, but she always left them disoriented. Shorts? Check. Green sports bra? Check. Black tank top? Check. Purple flannel tied around her waist? Check. Pink and purple scrunchie in her ponytail? Check. Tennis shoes? Check.

She nodded to herself and slipped back out.

Around the campfire was Talia, Auriana, Carissa, Lyna, and even Nathaniel and Doug and Kyle and her Aunt Ellen. Talia was tuning her guitar as she sat on top of a log, and when she noticed Iris she beckoned her closer.

“Iris! Saved you a spot!”

The relief was syrupy warm as it spread through her heart, and the smile was genuine. Auriana was sandwiched between Doug and Carissa, and Nathaniel had gotten suckered into sitting between Lyna and Aunt Ellen, all the way across from her.

Still…

She couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey guys?” She cleared her throat, accepting the bottle from Lyna. “Before we… get into it, I just want to say something.”

Auriana clapped excitedly, and Kyle and Doug shared a look across the fire. Iris shook her head.

“I know, I know. It’s… sappy, and stuff, but… I’m glad that we could all get out tonight. Everyone I love is all here, and…”

She looked at each smiling face.

Talia’s, gentle and kind.

Kyle, all prim and proper like she remembered from highschool, but with a new warmth.

Aunt Ellen, the only person who’d stayed by her side her whole life (save, of course, for Nathaniel), who’d sacrificed everything to raise her.

Nathaniel, her best friend, with his cool teal eyes on hers and his strong hands resting on the coat in his lap.

Lyna, her cousin from the planet she’d never known, sitting up straight and pretty with her windswept dark hair pulled over one shoulder, where she was loosely fussing with it.

Doug, leaning across Lyna’s lap to catch Nate’s attention, sandy blonde and sugar sweet.

Auriana, the excitable voltan princess who never let Iris down and never let them lose hope.

Carissa, brave and courageous and headstrong, snacking on the bag of marshmallows like her life depended on it.

And Iris herself.

A tear or two beaded up in her eyes and she laughed as she brushed them away, shaking her head. “I’m sorry everyone. I’m just getting emotional… This is the best birthday I could have asked for. I’m gonna-” She laughed and chased it with a long sip of water.

To her relief, some of the others laughed with her, and Carissa even bumped her shoulder in solidarity.

“Don’t feel embarrassed, Iris.” There was that blunt tone, along with a grin and a pair of raised eyebrows.

She couldn’t help but feel better.

Things wound down again as Talia finished checking to make sure her guitar was tuned, anticipation thrumming through the air. Talia had told Iris that she was planning on singing for her, which… Talia almost never did. Even with the audience, it felt special.

And Talia kept sneaking little smiles in her direction. Of course Iris was excited.

Aunt Ellen claps her hands together, however, before Talia can strum the first actual chord.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, Talia, but… I just remembered one of our traditions!”

This caused everyone else to look at her in confusion.

Aunt Ellen dusted off her skirt.

“Every year, Iris and I would sit together by the fire on her birthday and tell each other stories. Ghost stories, or gossip, anything… The only thing that mattered was having something to say. I thought… Well, I thought we could share that tradition with everyone this year. What do you say?”

Her hopeful eyes met Iris’.

“Oh!” Iris clapped a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I’d forgotten about it! I always loved that part! I- yes! Alright, I’ll start!”

And so, they started. She told a ghost story about the ship off the beach that’d sunk over a hundred and fifty years before, just a mile or so out, but that had never been recovered. Nathaniel told one about the museum, and how he’d seen a headless man stalking him through the halls when he was nine. Kyle’s story was more of a “tales-from-retail” type about computers and troubleshooting, and Doug had the same super-creepy tale he always told.

Here was where it got tricky.

Iris was, admittedly, a little scared of what the ephedians would have to say. Would they be able to come up with something interesting? Something-

“I have something!” Auriana piped up.

Everyone turned their attention to her.

“Well, everyone in my country knows it’s not all desert. Hardly any, really. But what everyone thinks of…” She glances around, then leans conspiratorially into the circle.

“The voltan sea.”

There’s murmurs from Carissa and Lyna and a nick of a frown from Talia, but the humans are sucked in immediately.

Even… even Iris was.

“The only body of water in my kingdom is a massive lake, glittering and sparkling, but that’s not the voltan sea. No, no.” Auriana shook her head, ponytail swinging behind her. “The sea is a desert, bigger than anything anybody’s ever gone and seen.”

“Wait- how can it be that big and no one’s seen it?” Doug interjected.

Auriana shushed him promptly.

“Of course no one’s seen it! They can’t find it.”

That caused a few looks of confusion. Mostly Nathaniel’s.

“What… about google earth?”

Auriana rolled her eyes.

“Did you ‘google earth’ your headless man? Let me finish, Nathaniel~!” She clapped her hands together, and he nodded.

“The sea can only be found when the leader- of a group, or a ship, or anybody- is lost. The moment they spiral, they’re trapped. Forever.”

Kyle went pale. Iris swallowed.

Auriana shrugged. “And the thing is… no one who’s ever gone in has come out, but I’ve heard things. Lost palaces and treasures, mountains of gold and books, even the dead walk there.”

The redhead locked eyes with Talia.

Iris felt her cheeks redden. No…

Auriana shrugged one final time.

“Or so I’ve heard, anyways. Thank the melzors I’ve always known where I’m going!”

Everyone else laughs it off, but a sense of unease is still left in Iris’ stomach.

“You guys must come from somewhere insane.” Doug sighed as he leaned back. “Talia, what about you? Got anything cool?”

The brunette blinked in surprise, then turned her big gold eyes to the left and right. “Um. You’re asking me?”

Doug nodded. “Yeah! Come on, _princess_.”

He waggled his eyes at her.

Talia’s cheeks reddened.

“I’m _no_ princess of yours.” She sat forwards, and her twin braids slid over her smooth shoulders, long hair in front of her, almost glowing as the glossy strands reflected the firelight.

“But… Okay, I don’t have any ghost stories, per se. Just… just a story.”

Kyle is the first one to offer a grin. “Hey we wanna hear it anyways! Lay it on us!”

She laughed and nodded. “Alright, here goes.”

She cleared her throat.

“The queen… of all of our countries,” Talia shared a glance with the rest of the ephedians, making it clear that she meant Iris’ mother. “Wasn’t always the highest in the eyes of the courts and the melzors. Before she was queen, she had an older brother.”

Iris sat up a bit straighter.

Talia offered her a tiny smile before refocusing.

“The queen, then Princess Mora, was always regal and beautiful… but her older brother was good too. He was charming and perfectly suited to take the throne. He was even married, to a sorceror-”

“Wait a second.” Nate raised a hand. “Sorceror?”

“If you value your voicebox, you’ll quit interrupting.” Carissa threatened vaguely. Iris kicked her ankle gently, frowning.

“Uh, magic is a totally valid thing that some people still believe in and practice! And we’re not going to question it.” She shot him a desperate look.

He simply matched it with an “explain later” sigh and handwave.

She knew she wouldn’t.

Talia pressed on. “No one knows what happened, the night before the coronation. One moment, all was well. The prince was set to be King, and the sorceror was set to be prince-consort, and then-princess Mora was set to live happily ever after with her husband. Then the next morning, everyone woke up for a celebration, and were met with…”

Shining eyes met Talia’s as she swept her gaze over the circle. Even the ones who knew the story kept listening aptly.

“A dead prince.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ghost stories~ heck yeah folks


	3. Don't Lose Ur Head (Vacation)

_“A dead prince.”_

There’s murmurs from around the group as Talia cocks her head to the side, waiting for the tension to get even thicker.

“I was never told the state of him, but I’ve heard it was so terrible that his husband bolted from the scene and vowed to find the truth. And legends say that the sorceror grew terrible and wicked, his heart curling and petrifying in his empty chest.”

Aunt Ellen stood silently and walked away from the group.

Iris swallowed.

“And… and the queen?”

Talia looked back to the blonde princess by her side and leaned forwards, guitar still in her lap, to tuck a lock of blonde hair back behind Iris’ ear.

“She sucked up her pain and she had the coronation anyways. And then Princess Mora became Queen, and ten years later she had a beautiful baby girl, and then the war started.”

Iris could hardly breathe.

Questions swirled in her brain, the knowledge making her nauseous and lightheaded.

Murder mystery? Her family? Who could have even done it- and where had the prince been killed? Was the culprit out to get her?

And his husband… had to be Gramorr, right?

Talia leaned back into her own space.

“And we’re not much for holidays, but every year, on the queen’s birthday- the same day as the coronation- we have a huge festival. All throughout the- er- villages in the kingdom.” She shot Iris a look.

All the blonde could manage was a breathy nod.

The xerin continued. “People dress up and wear masks, to try and confuse the murderer. If he cannot find the queen, then he can’t attack her! Atleast… that’s what my mothers said.” She laughed once. “And it is a somber day too. The music is slow and sweet and when we eat the meal, we mourn the prince we lost and celebrate the Queen we have.”

Kyle was nodding sagely while Doug and Nate shared a disbelieving look. The only thing that burst the calm bubble created by the ending to her story was the looks the other Ephedians shared.

Auriana leaned forwards. “Huh? What crock is that?”

Talia looked affronted as she blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Somber- mourning- no! It’s a party! A festival! The music is loud and cheerful and the food is plenty and we dance into the night. The masks are the only thing you got right.” Auriana threw her hands up. “I’m sorry, but Xeris doesn’t know how to throw a party.”

Carissa elbowed her sharply. “Auriana! We all celebrate it differently. In Calix we have a faux-funeral march for the dead king, then we drink and party all night.” She flexed one arm muscle and clapped a hand over it. “Strength competitions too, and the hour before dawn, the strongest will pick the weakest and they go on a scavenger hunt through the forest. If they find all the pieces to the mask, they get a trophy and a blessing. If they fail, they have to host the next year’s Queensday.”

Talia blinked again. “Excuse me- what if they live apart?”

“They usually get married. It’s almost romantic.” Carissa couldn’t help the grin and the sigh. “How my older sister got herself a partner.”

Lyna, who’d mostly kept to herself, sighed over her travel-sized mug of tea that she’d been sipping on. “Romantic? In Calix? That one’s new.”

Carissa frowned sharply. “What was that?”

“I said-”

Iris stood up. “I think it’s time we talked about something else! I’m going for a walk, and if I hear about any fights, you’re sleeping in the same tent.” She sent steady looks to both of them before she turned on her heel and climbed over the log to head into the forest.

If she’d stayed even a minute more, she’d have started crying.

She didn’t want to be emotional. She wasn’t entirely sure why her feelings were so… up in the air. But she put one foot in front of the other and followed the path into the woods, and when the path took a sharp curve, she kept going straight until she found the clearing.

Here, she was was safe. Here, she didn’t have to worry about anything.

She’d been coming to it since she was little, with the big rocks that were flat on top and perfect for sitting or laying on. Blackberry brambles tangled as they wound around ¾ of the clearing’s edge, and the bit of moonlight always made her feel better.

Iris hadn’t been here since she found out that she was an alien princess.

She snags a handful of the fat, juicy berries before she settles onto the rock.

And there is where she begins crying.

It’s soft at first, then gets worse. Maybe she’s mourning her uncle, maybe she’s mourning the situation she’s in, maybe she’s mourning the fact that she’s clueless to herself.

Whatever the truth, she cries herself out pretty quickly, hiccups rising after her cheeks are covered in drying tears. She wipes them off and pops the berries into her mouth.

Tart. Then sweet.

Just like they always were.

Before she can even attempt to get her thoughts back together, She stands so she can pull her flannel from her waist and put it on properly. It was _cold_ out here.

As the fabric shifts and the wind rustles the leaves and branches in that late night woodsy siren song, there’s a noise like the universe opening and then shutting.

She feels it before she sees him.

“Princess! We- you’re crying.”

Mephisto had been about to go on some big villainous rant, but the sight of her stopped him in his tracks.

Iris rubbed her face again. “What do you want, Mephisto?”

“Uh… well I’m supposed to be doing some big ‘we kidnapped Amaru’ speech, but it can wait. What happened to you?”

Iris wants to yell. “You kidnapped Amaru?”

He shrugged. “Prax won’t hurt him, and this is a really secluded area down here.” He moved so that instead of hovering over the ground, he was standing on it, about six feet from her. “And… I’m curious. Why you’re crying. Because usually seeing you princesses cry about the schemes is fun, but you didn’t even know about it, so it’s not fun.”

“We’re not friends.” Iris crossed her arms. “You’re trying to hand me over to- to.”

The vitriol sank from her.

What could she even call Gramorr?

He was that sorceror. He had to be. The one married to her uncle, the one who vowed to find out what happened to his husband.

The one who had definitely put together what Iris had.

Who wouldn’t come to that conclusion?

Tears beaded up and she sucked in a heavy breath, feeling her stomach twist and her heart lodge in her throat again.

This time, while she cries, her personal nemesis is there. Leading her to sit down and awkwardly brushing the tears from her cheeks when he could, and when she just grabs his gloved hand and presses it to her cheek.

It’s familiar, somehow. He steps closer and strokes the back of her head, marveling at how the strands of blonde slip through his fingers.

He doesn't rush her. Doesn't cause any problems or open his mouth.

He just stays.

When she's done crying, her face is hot with embarrassment and she pushes him away.

"Why are you- are you just being nice?" Iris rubbed at her cheeks again.

"You count this as nice?" He quirked an eyebrow up. "I just count it as being… ephedian. Having a beating heart in my chest."


End file.
